graduation
Yesterday I headed up to Smith's campus for likely the penultimate time. The Department was having a reception for graduating seniors and their families. I got to see a lot of my favorite students one last time, meet their parents, and say plenty of nice words. They also had many nice words to say to me about the courses they took and they wished me luck in my new job. It was sweet.
Three of my Asian students gave me gifts, and they were really quite generous. One student got me a pair of fancy chopsticks with designs from the Beijing Opera. A second student got me a cute little teapot and Chinese tea from a flower that grows on the tops of mountains. And the third student got me a hand-painted Vietnamese silk tie and green bean cakes* made in her hometown. They were really nice gestures and I'm going to miss these students--they made the classes very enjoyable.
* Everything on these gifts are in Chinese or Vietnamese, but at least with the green bean cakes there's an expiration date and ingredient list in English. I just had to quote it:
The pastry is best consumed 8 to 20 days after the date of production (as indicated on the box). By then it is the colour of old gold, is not too fragile to the touch, and melts easily in the mouth. You will like its flavour and taste best in the company of friends savouring together a good cup of tea.
Ingredients: flour green peas 36%, granulated sugar 32%, grease pig 32%, vanilla
Three of my Asian students gave me gifts, and they were really quite generous. One student got me a pair of fancy chopsticks with designs from the Beijing Opera. A second student got me a cute little teapot and Chinese tea from a flower that grows on the tops of mountains. And the third student got me a hand-painted Vietnamese silk tie and green bean cakes* made in her hometown. They were really nice gestures and I'm going to miss these students--they made the classes very enjoyable.
* Everything on these gifts are in Chinese or Vietnamese, but at least with the green bean cakes there's an expiration date and ingredient list in English. I just had to quote it:
The pastry is best consumed 8 to 20 days after the date of production (as indicated on the box). By then it is the colour of old gold, is not too fragile to the touch, and melts easily in the mouth. You will like its flavour and taste best in the company of friends savouring together a good cup of tea.
Ingredients: flour green peas 36%, granulated sugar 32%, grease pig 32%, vanilla